Well the count down to the most romantic day on earth – Valentine’s has begun and the theme for this week’sSugar High Friday #16 is “Recipe for Love”, tempting desserts that double as aphrodisiacs. What is an Aphrodisiac? “An aphrodisiac is an edible food or drink that imparts amorous qualities and eating or drinking these foods stimulates you and gets you in the mood for love.” Some of the aphrodisiac foods that have been written since ancient times are apples, artichokes, aspagarus,almonds, figs, bananas, strawberries, honey, ginger, saffron, apricots, cherries, coconut, dates, grapes, mangoes, papayas, peaches, pears, plums, pomegranates, raspberries and of course chocolate. I will not go into the scientific proof of these aphrodisiac foods but right now in today’s fast paced world, the best aphrodisiac is to keep the mobiles and PC’s turned off, plan a delectable rendezvous, create intimacy with some candles and soft music,j st be there for each other and get captivated by the fragrance of love. Enjoy this Valentine’s Day celebration with the joy of eating, drinking, enjoying each other’s appetites by conjuring up a delicious meal that tantilizes your taste buds and capture the essence of love. There’s nothing more aphrodisiac than that.:)
Fortunately or unfortunately neither myself nor my beloved have too much of a sweet tooth except for an occasional gulab jamun , bobattu (puran poli) or cake which are prepared as part of our festivities or special occassions. Today I conjured up a dessert with some aphrodisiac ingredients and figs (Anjeer) which are considered to be one of the most popular aphrodisiac foods is the main element here and combine it with two other powerful aphrodisiacs like almonds and saffron, you have yourself a tantilizing healthy dessert!
Almonds are considered an international symbol of fertility and help sustain stamina while Saffron, a rare and exotic herb, has been used through ages in rituals of beauty and love. Halwa is soft, creamy with melt-in-your-mouth consistency. Before you know it, your sweetheart will devour it with utmost relish. Anjeer Halwa is a blend of condensed milk and dried figs, dense in texture and has a minimal flavour of sweetness. So some healthy fun cooking and good nutrition can all go together this Valentine’s with this sensuous healthy dessert.
Anjeer Halwa (Dried Figs Dessert)
Ingredients:
1/4 lt boiled warm milk
1 small cup of dried figs (Anjeer) chopped into pieces
1 big tbsp ghee (clarified butter)
1/2 cup of sweetened condensed milk (Milkmaid)
5-6 almonds blanched and chopped length wise
few saffron strands
Heat ghee in a vessel and add the condensed milk and fig paste and cook on medium heat stirring continously till it leaves the sides of the vessel. Serve hot garnished with chopped almonds and saffron strands.
Note: Halwa can also be eaten cold.
